(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-05-14 14:05

China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co., the country's third-largest life insurer, is lobbying Beijing for permission to float shares in Shanghai after its planned Hong Kong listing, sources close to the situation said on Monday.

China Pacific Group, also the country's second-largest property insurer, made a loss in 2004 but was profitable in 2005 and is expected to report a solid performance in its 2006 earnings, said the sources, who declined to be identified.

Chinese regulations for initial public offerings require a company to make a profit for at least three consecutive years before it goes public domestically.

The sources said China Pacific Group was lobbying the central government and regulators for special permission for its potential Shanghai listing.

In addition, U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group and U.S. insurer Prudential Financial are in the final stage of negotiations with China Pacific to transfer their holdings in China Pacific's life insurance arm to the group, to pave the way for the group company's listing in Hong Kong, the sources said.

China Pacific Group sold a 25 percent stake in its life insurance arm to Carlyle and Prudential Financial for $400 million in 2005.

"It's almost done. Carlyle and Prudential are expected to get between a 16 and a 19.9 percent stake in China Pacific Group versus the 25 percent stake which they are now holding in its life insurance arm," said one source close to China Pacific.

TOP PRIORITY: HONG KONG IPO

Last month, China's insurance regulator approved the plan for the stock transfer but didn't disclose the size of the stake that Carlyle and Prudential would have in China Pacific Group.

Both Carlyle and China Pacific declined to comment.

China Pacific began considering going public three or four years ago, but its Hong Kong listing was postponed at least twice due mainly to the market environment and internal disagreements.

"Currently, the Hong Kong IPO has become the top of the top priorities for China Pacific," said the source, citing recent comments by China Pacific Group's Chairman Gao Guofu, who joined the insurer last July.

"Gao told his staff that they will get rid of any obstacle to its plan for the Hong Kong IPO and make their best efforts to secure a chance to list domestically soon after the Hong Kong IPO," one of the sources said.

"For instance, Carlyle was once one of the obstacles and now the problem is going to be completely solved soon," he added, referring to the proposed stock transfer.

China Pacific's plan to list domestically has won initial support from both the insurance and securities regulators, although it is uncertain whether top leaders in the State Council, China's cabinet, will give the deal go-head, said the other source, an insurance source close to the regulators.

"If China Pacific's Shanghai listing plan can be approved, it would definitely affect the size of its Hong Kong IPO," said the source.

Ernst & Young , auditor for the insurer's IPO, is expected to finalise China Pacific Group's 2006 financial report as early as next month, the sources said, adding it would then be submitted to top regulators in Beijing for their reference in deciding whether to approve the Shanghai listing.